Guide to Remote Human Services Jobs

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The Virtual Vocations Guide to Remote Human Services Jobs is a remote jobseeker resource and action plan for finding and applying to remote human services positions—one of the top 10 job categories among all telecommuting occupations.

For your convenience and shareability, the contents of this Guide to Remote Human Services Jobs are available in a PDF resource and download accessible via desktop, tablet, and mobile. Our guide is a valuable tool for service-minded remote jobseekers who want to help prevent and solve problems for clients in their communities. It includes information and resources on the types of available home-based human services positions, human services careers wage estimates, skills needed for human services work, and more.

Follow this link to view and download the Guide to Remote Human Services Jobs PDF or click the button below.

Top Remote Job Industry Resources

As part of our continued effort to provide high-quality resources and tools for remote jobseekers, we have also created guides for more top remote career fields. Click the links below to access those additional remote work industry guides and PDF downloads as well.

Human services is an interdisciplinary field that seeks to meet human needs in a particular environment. It is a diverse job sector that includes roles within other major job sectors like healthcare, case management, and education. Any job in which people are provided services, care, and assistance on an individual level can be considered human services.

Within our Guide to Remote Human Services Jobs, we provide a comprehensive overview of the human services job sector from the telecommuting perspective. Human services job data and resources are included in the following sections:

Remote Human Services Industry Statistics
Bureau of Labor Statistics Data on Human Services Occupations
Human Services Industry Remote Job Options
Estimated Human Services Industry Job Growth
Expected Education for Human Services Industry Professionals
Human Services Wages Data
Remote Human Services Jobseeker Action Plan

Remote Human Services Industry Statistics

In 2019, human services ranked seventh among Virtual Vocations’ list of the 10 best industries for remote work, per our 2019 Year-End Report.

From 2018 to 2019, the number of available remote jobs within the human services sector increased by 128%, making it one of the fastest growing remote job categories among the 43 industries from which Virtual Vocations sources and vets telecommuting positions.

Bureau of Labor Statistics Data on Human Services Occupations

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) tracks occupational employment data for human services jobs, which the BLS classifies as “Community and Social Service Occupations“—a major employment group. As of May 2018, the BLS estimates 2,171,820 U.S. professionals work in the human services or community and social service job sector. This occupational wage estimate does not include self-employed human services workers.

Job Industries with the Highest Levels of Human Services Employment

Individual and Family Services (372,280)
Local Government (excluding schools and hospitals) (257,470)
State Government (excluding schools and hospitals) (223,730)
Elementary and Secondary Schools (215,870)
Outpatient Care Centers (153,750)

Job Industries with the Highest Concentration of Human Services Employment (and Percent of Industry Employment)

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (30.73%)
Religious Organizations (25.72%)
Other Residential Care Facilities (24.33%)
Vocational Rehabilitation Services (22.08%)
Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities (18.04%)

States with the Highest Human Services Employment Level

Source: BLS, Community and Social Service, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

California (282,230)
New York (191,680)
Texas (117,090)
Pennsylvania (107,970)
Florida (101,550)

States with the Highest Concentration of Human Services Jobs and Location Quotients*

Source: BLS, Community and Social Service, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

Vermont (2.17)
Massachusetts (1.57)
Alaska (1.51)
Connecticut (1.37)
New York (1.36)

*BLS Location Quotient Definition: “The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.“

Human Services Industry Remote Job Options

Visit the Virtual Vocations job board to search for remote human services jobs that suit your skills and professional experience. To jump start your remote job search, explore current remote job openings in the following popular categories of telecommuting human services jobs.

Search Remote Human Services Job Openings Now

Estimated Human Services Industry Job Growth

Employment in human services related occupations is projected to grow 12% from 2019 to 2029, according to the BLS. Job growth within the human services sector will be much faster than the average for all occupations, equaling approximately 348,600 new jobs added to the economy throughout the decade.

“Most projected new jobs in this occupational group are in counselor and social worker occupations, as their services will continue to be needed in areas such as drug abuse counseling and rehabilitation counseling, and also for school and career counseling.

Every major community and social services employment subgroup should experience job growth through 2029. The following is a list of BLS job growth percentage predictions for common human services positions with remote work options:

25% Growth – Substance Abuse, Behavior Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors
22% Growth – Marriage and Family Therapists
17% Growth – Social and Human Service Assistants
13% Growth – Health Educators and Community Health Workers
13% Growth – Social Workers
10% Growth – Rehabilitation Counselors
8% Growth – School and Career Counselors
4% Growth – Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists

Expected Education for Human Services Industry Professionals

Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors

Although educational requirements can vary from a high school diploma and certification to a master’s degree for substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors, a master’s degree and an internship is typically required to become a mental health counselor.

Marriage and Family Therapists

Marriage and family therapists are required to have a master’s degree and a license to practice.

Social and Human Service Assistants

Requirements for social and human service assistants vary, although they typically have at least a high school diploma and must complete a brief period of on-the-job training.

Health Educators and Community Health Workers

Health educators need at least bachelor’s degree. Many employers require the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) credential. Community health workers typically need to have at least a high school diploma and must complete a brief period of on-the-job training. Some states have certification programs for community health workers.

Social Workers

While some social workers only need a bachelor’s degree in social work, clinical social workers must have a master’s degree and two years of post-master’s experience in a supervised clinical setting. Clinical social workers must also be licensed in the state in which they practice.

School and Career Counselors

Most school counselors need a master’s degree in school counseling or a related field and have a state-issued credential. Some states require licensure for career counselors.

Rehabilitation Counselors

Rehabilitation counselors typically need a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling or a related field. Some positions require certification or a license.

Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists

Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists usually need a bachelor’s degree. In addition, most employers require candidates to pass oral, written, and psychological exams.

Human Services Wages Data

As of May 2019, the median annual salary for community and social service professionals is $46,090. Median annual wages for these roles are higher than the median annual salary for all occupations of $39,810.

Best Paying States for Human Services Jobs

Source: BLS, Community and Social Service, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

District of Columbia ($61,860)
California ($58,120)
Connecticut ($57,440)
New Jersey ($54,120)
New York ($53,620)

Median Annual Wages for Remote Human Services Positions

Wages amounts listed below showcase BLS data on the 2019 annual median pay for human services professions.

School and Career Counselors: $57,040
Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists: $54,290
Social Workers: $50,470
Marriage and Family Therapists: $49,610
Health Educators and Comunity Health Workers: $46,910
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors: $46,240
Rehabilitation Counselors: $35,950
Social and Human Service Assistants: $35,060

Common Salary Ranges for Remote Human Services Jobs

When researching and applying to remote jobs, knowing common salary ranges for human services occupations will help remote jobseekers determine the lowest pay they should accept for a remote job in their field, regardless of their location. All of the human services salary ranges listed below were researched via the PayScale Salary Data & Career Research Center; they were compiled based on wages data from August 2020.

Psychiatrist: $101,000 – $293,000
School Psychologist: $46,000 – $93,000
Speech-Language Pathologist: $46,000 – $83,000
School Counselor: $38,000 – $73,000
Behavioral Health Specialist: $33,000 – $74,000
Care Coordinator: $32,000 – $72,000
Case Manager: $30,000 – $73,000
Social Worker: $33,000 – $68,000
Therapist: $35,000 – $62,000
Crisis Counselor: $30,000 – $59,000

Remote Human Services Jobseeker Action Plan

Virtual Vocations provides jobseekers with the tools, information, and resources to conduct safe, efficient, and high-quality remote job searches. We also recognize that finding and landing the right remote job takes time.

The following action plan outlined here in our Guide to Remote Human Services Jobs will provide human services telecommuting jobseekers with actionable steps they can take now to move their job searches forward.

Identify Core Skills for Your Remote Human Services Career

10 Universal Skills for Remote Work

When applying to remote human services jobs, ensure your employment documents, like your resume and cover letter, focus on highlighting universal remote work skills that every employer seeks in a job applicant.

Self-discipline
Re-engineering
Collaboration
Online Research
Positivity
Computers
Flexibility
Networking
Writing
Creativity

10 Comprehensive Skills for Remote Human Services Jobs

In addition to universally required skills for remote work, human services professionals should possess comprehensive skills relevant to their responsibilities. Remote human services jobseekers should showcase these top 10 skills as they apply to telecommuting jobs in community and social services occupations:

Active Listening
Boundary Setting
Empathy
Emotional Intelligence
Communication
Tolerance
Self-Care
Cultural Competency
Situational Deescalation
Detailed Note-Taking

Include Core Skills in Your Resume and Cover Letter

A well-written, keyword-optimized resume and cover letter will help set you apart from the competition. When crafting these employment documents, it is essential to include core skills. Here are some examples of how to showcase your core human services skills in a resume and cover letter.

Example of Core Human Services Skills Showcased in a Cover Letter

Example of Core Human Services Skills Showcased in a Resume

Before applying to remote human services jobs, consider the quality of your employment documents. Virtual Vocations Career Services, which are provided by experienced, certified experts offering quick turnarounds and personalized experiences to improve your hireability, can assist you with your cover letter and resume needs.

Set up Alerts for Remote Human Services Jobs Relevant to Your Skills

With Virtual Vocations remote job alerts, jobseekers receive daily emails containing new remote job openings that match their professional skills and backgrounds. For example, when a remote jobseeker searches the Virtual Vocations job board for ‘social worker‘ remote jobs, they can click the orange ‘ACTIVATE‘ button to create an email alert for this search result.

Within the Alerts section of a jobseeker’s Virtual Vocations account, they can also set up a job alert by clicking the blue ‘CREATE NEW ALERT‘ button as well as see their Saved Job Alerts.

Explore Remote-Enabled Companies Continuously Hiring in Human Services

Virtual Vocations researched remote-enabled companies known for hiring telecommuting human services professionals and compiled them into a helpful list for remote jobseekers. For each employer, we provide examples of remote jobs those employers have been known to fill as well as a link to the employer’s Virtual Vocations company profile.

Any available remote human services job openings with these employers are linked within each business’s Virtual Vocations company profile. The profiles also contain a researched company summary, a graph of the business’s hiring trends, and quick-access links to the employer’s website, RSS feed, and social media pages.

VocoVision

Examples of remote jobs with VocoVision that have been found in the Virtual Vocations database include Remote School Speech Language Pathologist, Telecommute Middle School Speech Therapist, Virtual School Psychologist, and Telecommute Deaf and Hard of Hearing Therapist.

View VocoVision’s Company Profile at Virtual Vocations

Babylon Health

Examples of remote jobs with Babylon Health that have been found in the Virtual Vocations database include Virtual Behavioral Health Therapist, Remote Telemedicine Behavioral Health Therapist, Virtual Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, and Telecommute RN Care Manager.

View Babylon Health’s Company Profile at Virtual Vocations

UnitedHealth Group

Examples of remote jobs with UnitedHealth Group that have been found in the Virtual Vocations database include Telecommute Behavioral Healthcare Advocate, Virtual Autism Care Advocate, Telecommute After Hours Licensed Behavioral Health Care Advocate, and Telecommute Behavioral Health Field Care Advocate.

View UnitedHealth Group’s Company Profile at Virtual Vocations

Mindstrong Health

Examples of remote jobs with Mindstrong Health that have been found in the Virtual Vocations database include Remote Therapist, Telecommute Clinical Specialist Therapist, Remote Mental Health Therapist, and Telecommute Patient Mental Health Clinical Specialist.

View Mindstrong Health’s Company Profile at Virtual Vocations

ProCare Therapy

Examples of remote jobs with ProCare Therapy that have been found in the Virtual Vocations database include Telecommute School Occupational Therapist, Remote School Speech-Language Pathologist, Virtual School Sign Language Interpreter, Telecommute School Based Social Worker, and Remote School Paraprofessional.

View ProCare Therapy’s Company Profile at Virtual Vocations

Use Virtual Vocations Jobseeker Resources

Virtual Vocations is here to help jobseekers who want to work from home in human services roles. Remote human services jobseekers can utilize the following Virtual Vocations jobseeker resources to maximize their hireability and improve their job search prospects.

Career Services

The Virtual Vocations Career Services department provides the following expert services for mid-level and C-level remote jobseekers:

E-Courses for Remote Jobseekers

Sign up for the following Virtual Vocations e-courses via the Telecommute Toolkit page of your Virtual Vocations account.

Telecommute Companies Database

The Virtual Vocations Telecommute Companies Database is filled with more than 24,000 researched company profiles of businesses and organizations known for hiring remote workers. In addition to the remote-enabled employers featured in this Guide to Remote Human Services Jobs, remote jobseekers can find current openings from all human services employers by clicking the button below or following this link to explore human services employers.

Remote Jobseeker Blog Content

Human services remote jobseekers should not miss the following relevant blog posts about successfully preparing for a remote job search:

Resumes and Cover Letters

Remote Job Interviews

Career Resources from Virtual Vocations

Virtual Vocations Jobseeker Success Stories

Are you interested in applying to remote human services jobs? Connect with Virtual Vocations to share your story on our social media pages, via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, where you can find more remote work content and conversations. We would love to hear from you!

Image credits: Canva; U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics; Virtual Vocations PDF and images designed by Kimberly Back

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Guide to Remote Human Services Jobs — Jobseeker Resource and Download

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